What breaks most · 2011 to 2019 model years
Chevrolet Volt problems by year
Owners have filed 384 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Volt across model years 2011 to 2019. Two years stand out: 2012 for electrical system complaints and 2013 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2016, 2015 and 2011.
- Years to check closely: 2012, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2016, 2015, 2011
- Complaints on file
- 3842011 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2012121 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1810 fires · 23 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 35kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 12Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (12) | |
| 121 | 4 | 2 | Electrical system (49) | |
| 105 | 7 | 3 | Air bags (32) | |
| 41 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (16) | |
| 18 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 54 | 2 | 0 | Electrical system (18) | |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | Brakes (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system (1) |
What fails on the 2012 Chevrolet Volt
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 40% |
49 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt |
| Air bags | 17% |
20 | 2 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 12% |
15 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 11% |
13 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
13 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt |
| Unknown or other | 10% |
12 | 1 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
12 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 6% |
7 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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11/10/2018 while driving about 45mph heading school the car totally shut down for not reason, and would not restart. The ev mode shut down and the gas engine did not start. Police recommend to get it towed to safe location. Onstar records, multiple shut down of computer modules. 11
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The car reduces speed without advance warning on hwy and decreases to 30-40 mph in a 65-70 mph zone. The air conditioning stopped working, some safety electrical components malfunction mid drive and resume working
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Volt years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2012, 2013 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Volt. The 2012 alone has 121 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Chevrolet Volt problem?
On the 2012 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 49 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Volt problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Volt complaints that include mileage is about 35,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.